Music Upfront - 12.04.08: Catalogue reviews.

Dusty Springfield: Gold (Mercury 5304171)

Such was the quality of her output, it is almost impossible to release a bad compilation of Dusty Springfield material. As luck would have it, this is one of the best, a sprawling 51-song double-disc set, although its claim to be definitive is ruined by the fact it misses two of her 26 hits (Baby Blue and the Cilla Black duet Heart & Soul). All of the rest are present and correct, in chronological order, with non-hit nuggets such as Spooky, a wonderfully husky The Look Of Love and Brand New Me in between.

Willie Nelson: One Hell Of A Ride (Columbia/Legacy 88697139152)

To mark Willie Nelson's 75th birthday, Sony Legacy is releasing this excellent four-disc set, which includes 100 of Nelson's best-loved recordings. Nelson is the writer of country standards such as Crazy, Hello Walls and Funny How Time Slips Away, all here in their original versions. He is also a gifted interpreter of other people's songs, providing superb stylings of Always On My Mind and Georgia On My Mind, for example, while his Seventies peak produced classics such as Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys and the beautiful Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain - all here, all great...

William Orbit: Strange Cargo 2 (IRS/EMI 5263782)

Perhaps best-known for helming Madonna's Ray Of Light album, Orbit is a substantial musician in his own right. Dating from 1990, Strange Cargo 2 is a chilled electronica/ambient album made up of 10 instrumental pieces, with constantly changing combinations of instruments and enjoyable melodies. Its already substantial sales should increase considerably with this reissue, which carries a dealer price of just ...